Funeral information was revealed Thursday for New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who died earlier this week. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also ordered flags at half-staff in the state for one month in Oliver's honor.
Gov. Murphy, a Democrat, cut his vacation in Italy short and returned to New Jersey on Thursday after Oliver's death. He had been set to be in the country, where he owns a home, until Aug. 13.
Oliver died after a short stay at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, for an undisclosed medical issue. She had been serving as acting governor when her hospitalization was announced Monday. She died the next day.
No cause was given for her death in a statement from the governor's office on behalf of Oliver's family, which asked for privacy.
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Funeral and celebration of life for Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver
A three-day "Celebration of Life" will take place in Oliver's honor.
On Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, Oliver will lie in state in the New Jersey State House Rotunda where the public will be able to pay their respects to her. Oliver will be escorted and accompanied by a rotating Honor Guard from the New Jersey State Police.
On the morning of Friday, Aug.11, 2023, Oliver will be escorted to the Essex County Historic Court House by the Honor Guard where members of the public will also be able to pay their respects to her as she lies in state. She will be accompanied by a rotating Honor Guard from the Essex County Sheriff's Office.
On the morning of Saturday, Aug. 12, Oliver will be accompanied to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey, where a memorial service open to the public will take place. Following the service, her casket will be escorted by the Honor Guard of the New Jersey State Police to her final resting place where she will be interred in a private ceremony.
“As we come together in shared mourning over the loss of our family member and friend Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, we will remember the legacy she leaves behind as a changemaker and trailblazer,” Governor Murphy said. “Together, we will honor and celebrate her remarkable contributions to the state she loved, recognizing the profound impact she had on the millions of people who call New Jersey home.”
Flags at half-staff for Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver
After returning to New Jersey, Gov. Murphy ordered that U.S. and New Jersey flags fly at half-staff in Oliver's honor at all state buildings and facilities from Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, through Monday, September 4, 2023.
"I am ordering our flags to fly at half-staff for the next month as all of New Jersey mourns her loss together," Murphy wrote in a statement. "History will remember Lieutenant Governor Oliver as a trailblazer and an icon, and her memory and dedicated service to the people of our state will be an inspiration forever.”
Murphy also privately paid respects to Oliver and members of her family on Thursday.
Oliver, also a Democrat, was the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in New Jersey, winning the vote alongside Murphy in 2017 and again in 2021. She was a well-known figure in state government and made history in 2010 by becoming the first Black woman to lead the state Assembly.
She also signed several bills while deputizing for Murphy. In 2021, she signed a bill that established a pilot program to overhaul the state’s juvenile justice system in four cities and which aimed to reintegrate young people into their communities. Another measure she signed in 2021 revived a defunct fund for “urban enterprise zones” aimed at driving economic development in cities through lower sales tax rates.
She was also a passionate proponent of tighter gun control measures.
Murphy and Oliver had a close working relationship. Shortly after her death, he called picking her to be his top deputy the best decision he had ever made.
While Murphy remains out of the country, Senate President Nicholas Scutari serves as acting governor, under the New Jersey Constitution.
The constitution requires the governor to name a new lieutenant governor within 45 days. Murphy hasn't announced Oliver's successor yet.
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